TRANSIT & TOD: SWEET SPOT FOR JOBS

posted by gloria ohland | 498mp
September 06, 2012

Greg Le Roy of the national nonprofit Good Jobs First says he’s “seen the future of robust job creation in America and it’s transit and transit-oriented development." There’s a raft of evidence, he says, that transit and TOD create the most new jobs, including two new Recovery Act reports that compare highways and transit in terms of construction jobs created: Both found that building transit systems created 31 to 84 percent more jobs per $1 billion than building highways. And “fix it first” highway projects provide more work hours than does building new roads — because money is not spent buying rights of way.

About TOD, says LeRoy, when buildings are taller and more complex private construction industry data clearly shows higher job creation per $1 million spent — for both commercial structures and condos and town homes versus single-family detached homes.